Verizon opens doors to its new store

There’s now elbow room — and more — at the newly-opened Verizon Wireless store in Rincon.The store celebrated a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its new location, which is 4,300 square feet. Its previous home was a little over 1,000 square feet.

“We have better parking for our customers and better seating for our customers,” said store manager Lanyae Bolden. “We were staffed for this store when we were at the old store. We had 11 employees and six desks. Now we have eight desks.”

The store opened Feb. 28 and Bolden said they have been busier.

“We have seen an increase in business with the visibility alone,” she said.

Among the store’s features are high-definition plasma screens showcasing the wireless multimedia applications, a greeter kiosk that enables customers to check in electronically before browsing the store and a bill payment kiosk that enables customers to pay their bills using checks, cash or credit/debit cards.

Verizon’s iPhone and the Android also have continued to be popular sales items, according to Bolden.

“If it’s not the iPhone, it’s the Android,” she said.

The launch of the Verizon iPhone has generated more business and interest. The iPad also now is Verizon-compatible.

“Our customers have been waiting for this for four years,” Bolden said. “Even that (iPad launch) was exciting. They saw that as the beginning of a relationship between Verizon and Apple. They were expecting that was coming.”

The store is holding smart phone workshops from 8-9 on Saturday mornings before the store opens, “so customers can enjoy an intimate setting on how to use their phone,” Bolden said.

Customers can register for the workshops and see what the available dates are on the Web.